Sleepover
by HotMezoti
Summary: Vega / Femshep on the Normandy. Exploration of the progression of their relationship. I love these two. A lot of my stories are variations of a theme, but I'm always thinking, "How would it have been if things went this way..." Lemony with rating for a reason. Again - apologies, I don't know how to divide it into chapters on this site. Completed story. Characters owned by Bioware


What a mindfuck. A week ago, Vega was Shepard's prison guard, now he was fighting alongside her as part of her team with Garrus on Menae. She fought like no one he'd ever seen before, quick and strong, and ruthless. She punched a cannibal off, then looked over at James and grinned.

When she was imprisoned, they'd developed a comfortable, flirty friendship, but nothing had come of it. He'd had plenty of fantasies about her, but never acted on it. She'd treated him like a little brother, and she'd been his personal ward. He didn't cross the line.

When they were on Mars, he'd watched surprised as her former boyfriend, Kaidan, had alternated between accusations and professions of his love for her. He'd felt a twinge of jealousy when Kaidan was talking about their prior relationship, even though he knew he had no right to be jealous. Maybe she still had feelings for Kaidan, maybe that's why nothing had happened between them while they were in Vancouver. But, Kaidan had never visited her while she was imprisoned, and she'd never mentioned him either, although she'd talked a lot about the rest of her crew. Garrus, Tali and Anderson had all visited her during the time they were there.

Fighting on Menae with her now was like the culmination of all those months together when he had done everything he could to keep her spirits up, get her access to the gym and combat simulators to help her fighting skills stay sharp. He was being let into her world now, as a valued member of her crew. She had complemented him on his strategy on the battlefield, and he worked hard to live up to her expectations.

They pushed ahead, taking out cannibals and husks until they were faced with a new enemy. Large brutes were steadily coming towards them, and Garrus had scouted ahead to try and flank them while giving a sit rep.

Shepard took cover behind a rock formation and strategized with Garrus over the com while James shot at Cannibals coming at them. Suddenly a rocket was launched and took down Shepard's shields, knocking her backwards, unconscious.

"Shepard!" James yelled, and shot down husks as he ran over to her. She was sprawled backwards, her gun still in her hand. Her dark hair was splashed out on the dusty gray ground, her eyes closed. James grabbed her by the waist and held her in a tight embrace as he put his hand behind her head, picking her up and moving down the embankment into safety. He called over the com, "Garrus, she's knocked out, hold them off for me!"

Hearing James' voice brought her back into reality, when they suddenly heard a small cluster of grenades rain down on them. James lay on top of her and covered her body with his for protection as the concussive grenades went off all around them. He stayed on top of her, armor on armor, with his arms up over her head, his cheek against hers. "Carino, just stay still."

"James, I'm okay." She reached up and held his shoulders with her hands, "I'm fine, really." He pulled back a little to look around, seeing there were no enemies in direct proximity, he looked back down at her, their faces inches apart. The intensity of the moment was palpable, and James inexplicably leaned back down over her as if trying to keep her forever safe, his chin resting on her shoulder. Shepard's long repressed emotions completely overtook her, and she took a deep breath in, turned her head and brushed his cheek with her lips. Stunned by the sensation, he pulled back to look at her intently. Shepard put an armored hand on James' cheek. They were interrupted by Garrus on the com, _"Could use some help out here guys!"_

Shepard snapped out of it and pushed James. "Later, Lieutenant. We've got to finish those things off." James swiftly got up and helped her to her feet. They caught up to Garrus and worked together to take out the brutes and systematically fight off the other reaper abominations that were hurled at them. They completed their mission successfully with Garrus joining them back to the Normandy.

On the shuttle James sat next to Shepard while Garrus communicated with the shuttle pilot, Cortez, up front. They sat in silence, James pondering what had passed between them in those moments on Menae. Shepard was quiet too. He looked down at her and realized she was clutching her left shoulder. He sat down in front of her, "Lola, are you hurt?" He moved her hand and saw blood trickling down her armor. "Dios mio, why didn't you say anything?"

She shrugged with a sheepish smile. He got medigel from the kit on the wall of the shuttle and sat down in front of her, taking her armor carefully off using the safety clasps. He took the chestplate off first, then the rest of her upper armor and the gauntlets, exposing a deep gash through the inner armor lining from her upper shoulder halfway down her bicep. He whistled, "Lola, that's deep. I'm going to apply medigel, okay?" She nodded. He gently cleaned and carefully applied medigel to the wound. Garrus stood in the doorway of the cockpit of the shuttle watching the scene before him. He had noticed during the times he had visited Shepard in prison how she and James interacted, and had wondered how close she would allow James to get to her. He watched his best friend's expression and body language with James, how gentle James was with her, and realized he was watching the unfolding of the next level of their relationship. He smiled and returned to the cockpit with the shuttle pilot.

As James finished bandaging her arm, she leaned forward and put her head on his shoulder, feeling the cool armor on her forehead. He reached up and held her head, patting her hair. "You scared me there Lola."

"When I blacked out, or when I tried to kiss you?" she murmured.

He smiled, "When you blacked out. I can handle the other part."

She leaned back and looked at him pointedly, "Can you James?"

"ETA 5 minutes" Cortez called back, and James pulled away, cleaning up the first aid supplies. Garrus walked back into the main part of the shuttle. "All fixed up?"

"As best I can, Garrus." James said.

Garrus took a hard look at Shepard who refused to meet his gaze. "This is bullshit, you know. You need to let us know when you're hurt. Do you have any other injuries you're holding out on us?"

Shepard looked down, "No, just a nasty headache. Probably a mild concussion."

Garrus shook his head in frustration. "You try to be too tough, and it's going to bite you in the ass. What would you say if one of us pulled that crap? You could have gone into shock."

"I know. It won't happen again. I think I was just distracted. Sorry."

Garrus sighed and sat down next to her. They talked quietly until they got back to the Normandy. James sat across from them and thought about what she had said. Did she mean anything by it? He wanted to believe that was true, but probably not. They had flirted innocently when they were on Vancouver and she was also suffering from a concussion. He leaned his head back against the metal wall of the shuttle and pushed those thoughts aside, just as he had during the time he was her prison guard.

Shepard obediently went to see Dr. Chakwas when they were back on board, not wanted to piss Garrus off anymore. James went to the showers, then returned to his makeshift quarters in cargo bay. He put on his sleepshorts, then lay down on his cot and stretched his large, muscular arms up over his head and relaxed. It was late, and he fell asleep.

He woke to sense someone beside him. He'd forgotten to pull the curtain past his cot, and he vaguely made out a form in the dark as they leaned toward him and he instinctively reached over and grabbed an arm and yanked it down, pinning the person down on his cot.

"Fuck!" Shepard cried out.

"Shepard?" He was shocked. He let go of her. She sat on the floor by his cot as he leaned up in bed on his elbows to look at her. She was in a tank top and sleep shorts, her shoulder bandaged. He was glad he hadn't pulled on her injured shoulder. He sat up and whispered, "Are you okay? What's wrong?" It was lights out on the ship, and everyone was gone except the night maintenance crew that would be there periodically monitoring equipment and cleaning and checking the crews' armor.

She sighed and said quietly, "I can't sleep. I came down to, I don't know. I guess I miss how we would watch vids together and I would fall asleep on your shoulder. You know, that was only a week ago."

He nodded. It seemed like another lifetime. He looked up at her and waking up a bit more, he pulled the sheet away, "Here, why don't you sleep here with me."

She hesitated, then he said, "I'll pull the curtain, nobody needs to know."

She crawled into bed and he pulled the curtain he'd made from a sheet across for privacy. She lay next to him, her leg and arm wrapped around his body. When he'd set his room up there, he'd put two cots together to accommodate his size, so she had enough room to squeeze in. She let a long breath out, and felt herself relax against his heat. His arm was around her protectively, careful to avoid the bandage on her arm. She was asleep almost immediately, but James was awake, incredibly aroused by the feel of her skin against his, her warmth, her scent. He heard her breathing become steady and she was asleep. He reached up and took out her hair band, gently pulling her long dark hair out and entangling his hands in the soft curls, fulfilling a dream he'd had every time he'd seen her hair loose in Vancouver. He fought the hard-on that refused go away. He'd often wished for this scene to play out when he was her guard, but with all the cameras around her quarters, it wasn't even an option. He looked down at her. Now that she was no longer a prisoner, was she initiating something with him? Tomorrow he'd try to find out.

Shepard woke first. She stretched and looked around confused, then up at James, still asleep. She smiled. It had been a bold move for her to come down to see him in the middle of the night, but she was glad she had.  
When she was imprisoned, she'd fought to hide her intense feelings for him. If the Alliance had caught even a whiff of her attraction, she knew he would have been reassigned, or worse. Now that she was in charge, she wanted to at least see if his flirting had been for fun, or if there was something more behind it. Coming down to see him last night had been a step to test the waters.

She was wedged between him and the wall, and started to slowly climb over him to get up. When she was directly on top of him, he woke up and reflexively grabbed her, holding her tightly. Her eyes widened as he looked up at her and smiled. "Well, good morning Lola."

She could feel how hard his cock was, and it excited her. Here in the privacy of his makeshift bedroom, in his bed on top of him straddling his legs, it was thrilling. They stayed still for a moment, her dark hair falling around her face as she looked down at him. He loosened his grip on her, but she didn't move away. He grazed his hand down her back and she arched into it, pushing herself back down on him. He groaned and pulled her down onto him harder, leaning his head back on the pillow.

"She's not here Daniels, I've been here for 20 minutes and I've not seen her at all."

They froze at the sound of Cortez's voice, only 10 feet away from them at the shuttle controls. Shepard mouthed "_Shit." _

"We're having some issues with the maintenance controls. We haven't been able to get them fixed all night." Daniels said.

"Why don't you ask EDI where she is?" Cortez offered.

"I already did. Shepard turned off the tracking device on her omni-tool." Daniels sighed.

James looked down at Shepard who shrugged guiltily. Daniels and Cortez continued to converse about where she might be when Shepard huffed with frustration and started to pull the curtain away to get out. James pulled her back, shaking his head no and putting a finger up to his lips. He didn't want her to be caught in a compromising position by the crew. Shepard decided he was right, to stay until they left. They looked at each other, listening to the conversation just outside the curtain. They heard Daniels say in frustration, "Well, she's got to be on the ship somewhere!"

Shepard put her hand over her mouth and stifled a giggle. It was like being caught in your boyfriend's room at his parents' house. James held her loosely on top of him, and she wiggled a bit to get comfortable, when suddenly James let out a low groan. She had pulled herself over again on his still-hard cock. She leaned down and pulled herself up higher to give him some relief and found herself almost eye to eye with him. Shepard's head snapped up when they heard Connelly join the group to discuss the maintenance situation with Daniels and Cortez. Knowing they would be in there for a while longer, Shepard leaned down over James' neck and snuggled into it. It reminded her of the day before on Menae when she had lost her careful composure and acted impulsively on her feelings for him. She had waited so long, thought so many nights about being with James like this, and here it was. No more vidcams, no Alliance guards to keep this from happening. She started to kiss him softly on his neck. He allowed these ministrations, until she got around his chin and near his lips when he reached a hand up for her face and gave her a soft, warm kiss. She moaned, and James tightened his grip on her waist, shooting her a warning look. She clamped her hand over her mouth and then lay completely still. She leaned down by his ear and whispered, "How long are they going to stay down here, dammit?" He shrugged his shoulders. He leaned to her ear and said, "Just don't make any noise, okay? Best to just wait it out." She nodded. He leaned again and whispered, "Cortez always does a morning checklist, then he leaves for the mess hall. He should be gone in a little bit."

"Okay." Shepard said. Encouraged by his kiss, she started running her hands on his chest and pushing herself down farther so she was pressing against his erection. James grabbed her hand and whispered, "Lola, you're playing with fire."

She bit her lip, she didn't want to pressure him if this wasn't what he wanted. "Do you want me to stop?" She whispered back. He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head no. She looked down at his chest and ran her warm hands over his muscles and up his shoulder over his tattoo. This was the first time she was seeing him with his top off, the first time she could see his tattoo in its entirety. She started writhing slowly on top of him.

James couldn't believe this entire turn of events, he wondered at one point if this was a dream, it was like one of his fantasies come true. When she started rubbing on top of him, he realized this was definitely very real. He reached his hand down inside her sleep shorts, discovering that she wasn't wearing underwear. He reached down further and cupped her curvy ass, giving it a squeeze. She pulled up and kissed him, harder and with an intensifying hunger he returned. He teased her lips with his tongue and she parted her soft lips allowing him to explore her. He pulled his hand out from her shorts and reached under the hem of her tank top until he got to the bottom of her breasts. Her eyes widened as he lightly squeezed it and teased her nipple. She started to feel a heat in her inner core, and reached her hand back to tug at her shorts. He reached his hand down to help her, and they both got them off. She looked up at him, eyes dark with lust and pulled her tank top off. She lay back down on him, completely naked. He wrapped his arms around her and groaned.

"Oh, that's just Vega, he likes to sleep late." they heard Cortez say.

They looked at each other, silently questioning each other how far they were willing to go. Logic started to break through Shepard's haze, and she got off James and sat back between his legs on the bed. She grabbed her tank top and put it back on. James leaned his head back on the pillow and took deep breaths. His disappointment washed over him like an icy bath. She grabbed her shorts off the bed and wriggled them back on, then lay on her side next to James, getting close to his ear. "I'm sorry James, but I'm a screamer, and the pressure to be quiet is really cramping my style."

He stifled a laugh at the irritation in her voice, and held her tightly, breathing slowly and steadily. She leaned into him and took some calming breaths herself as she soon heard Daniels and Connelly leave. Five more minutes of button pushing at the shuttle console, and James saw Cortez leave, watching him through a crack in the curtain.

"He's gone." He told her.

"Finally." She said and pulled the curtain back. They squinted at the light in the room. Shepard got up and turned back to James, leaning over him, quieting her voice as she knew there were still a few crew members in the back, "Um, you could come up later and see me in my quarters."

James grinned and gave her a salute.

She walked quickly over to the elevator and took it up. She stepped out and into her room, gathering her thoughts. It was surreal. Many lonely nights on Vancouver she had gone to sleep imagining James was in bed with her, was touching her, loving her. It helped her to get through her despair by thinking about the day she would leave prison and she could let her feelings for him be known. She couldn't believe the day she had dreamt about for so many months was here. As she got dressed, she remembered the feel of his kiss, his caresses. He actually returned her feelings. It was no longer flirting, no longer wondering if he was attracted to her too. Now she knew. She turned her omni-tool on, bracing herself for the barrage of messages from the crew. Shepard read them quickly, then went down to engineering. She wanted to get things done so she and James could talk, could finish what they started.

James sat on his bed for a while, his mind reeling from the events of that morning. Had he dreamt it? He could still smell the scent of her shampoo on his bedsheets. Christ, he was willing to go all the way then and there, but now with a clearer head, he realized it would be much better with privacy. What was that she had said, she's a screamer? Well, he was looking forward to hearing that for himself. He got dressed and went up to the mess hall. He made himself some breakfast and was eating with several other members of the crew when he heard the elevator doors open and Shepard walked out. He looked down and tried to look casual as she walked to the kitchen. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she got herself something to eat. Suddenly he wasn't sure if she might backtrack on what she'd said to him that morning. Maybe she'd gotten caught up in the heat of the moment, and back in her quarters she'd thought differently. She sat down at James' table, a little further down.

"Commander." he said in greeting.

"Vega." She nodded in his direction.

They ate in silence for a few moments until Shepard looked up and saw what James was eating.

"Hey, think you could spare some of those eggs? I do miss your cooking, you know."

He smiled and scraped some on her plate. She held up her hand, "That's good, thanks. I've got a busy morning ahead."

James tried to read her expression, but unable to, he looked back down and kept eating. It was bizarre. He kept remembering the image of her naked, hair loose around her as she panted on top of him. He wanted to have that experience with her again, and as soon as possible. _ If she had changed her mind, well,_ he sighed.

Dr. Chakwas came in the mess and sat with Shepard, asking about her shoulder. "It's much better, Doctor."

"I really should re-bandage it and take another look."

"Can it wait until later, Chakwas? I have a project I'm working on with James this morning."

James snapped his head up to look up at Shepard and she glanced over at him smiling. _Well, looks like she wasn't backtracking after all. _

"Yes, but make sure you come by medbay today." Chakwas warned.

"I promise, Doctor."

Shepard got up to leave and gave her plate to Gardner. She went to the elevator and entered her quarters, anticipating James coming up soon. Maybe he would change his mind, she hoped not. Since they arrived on the ship it had been a whirlwind of trying to get organized and strategize between non-stop missions. Last night was the first time she had to catch her breath and think about trying to get some private time with James. She wanted to make sure she made time to follow through. Emboldened by the events of that morning, she didn't want to wait.

She heard a ping at her door. That was quick, she thought. She opened the door to see Liara.

"Oh, hey, how are you?"

"I am fine Shepard, I wanted to check in with you. I have some new information I think you could use."

James waited another 15 minutes, then made his way up to Shepard's quarters. He stood outside the door and paced a few times. He dried his sweaty palms on his pants, then pushed the button on her door.

_"__Enter" _

He took a deep breath and went in, he stopped short when he saw Liara and Shepard at her desk, looking intently at her computer.

"James, thanks for coming. We'll be finished up here shortly and we can work on that project we were talking about."

James nodded at both of them. He looked around. He hadn't been in her quarters before. He walked down the stairs and sat on her couch. He could hear them discuss building something, Liara stressing the need for Salarian help. "Agreed, Liara. That's our priority, but we need to get more supplies first, we never got set up properly for a mission of this type. I'm going to look over this for the next few days while we get what we need. I'll make sure to get with you also on the supply list when we get to the Citadel."

"Certainly, Shepard. Give me a call when you need me." She walked to the stairs, "See you later Lieutenant." and left.

Shepard sighed and turned her computer off, walking down the stairs and sitting on the couch next to James. "Sometimes I wish we were back in Vancouver living the simple life."

He laughed, "When you were incarcerated?"

"Strange, I know. Here though, the mission comes first, as always." She sighed.

"Nice digs, Lola. You need to get something for your fish tank, though."

She rolled her eyes, "I've tried that before, and they all end up dead while I'm away on missions."

They looked at each other for a moment. In the light of day, Shepard was suddenly shy. She was so confident in battle, in her role as Commander, but in her personal life she was usually awkward and unsure. Kaidan's betrayal of her had further shaken her confidence in relationships. She looked down. James was sitting close, but respectful, waiting for her to talk. _He always makes me feel comfortable_ _with myself,_ she thought.

"Um." Shepard seemed to have lost all logical thought with him so near, feeling his heat, remembering the feel of his kiss, his touch.

James put his hand on her leg. "Lola, I really care about you."

She quickly blurted out, "I really care about you too James, I have for a long time."

He was surprised. "Really? You never let on."

"I know. I didn't think you felt the same way about me until yesterday on Menae when you called me carino."

"I did, didn't I." James didn't think she'd heard that slip.

"Yes, and I know what that means. You were leaning so close to me, I let my guard down. After that, I couldn't stop thinking about you. You know, we're no longer under Alliance threat like on Vancouver. I just had to take a chance. It's not usually like me, but I'd held back for so long, I wanted to see if you had any feelings for me at all, so last night I took a chance again and went down to see you.

James reached for her hands, "I'm glad you did, because I would have been too afraid to try. I would never think you would be interested in me like that."

"Why James?"

"You could have practically anyone, why me?"

"Because you're the only one who really knows me. You saw me as just me when we were on Vancouver. You aren't looking at me as 'Commander Shepard'. You saw me as a person, as a woman, and you didn't get put off by my quietness, my weird sense of humor, my awkwardness when I let my guard down. You didn't try to change me into the image you wanted. You don't make me feel like I have to change myself to be what you want and you were yourself with me. You're funny and kind, protective but respectful. You're confident and smart."

"And hot, don't forget hot."

Shepard laughed, "Of course, I could never forget that."

He brushed a strand of her hair off her face and she smiled and leaned her face into his palm. James started to realize the Shepard he knew was someone reserved for just him, the rest of the crew knew parts of her, but he was the only one who she felt comfortable enough with to be her private self. That began at Vancouver, but she had chosen to continue that intimacy when they got on the Normandy.

"Lola, I'm not someone who plays around. I'm going to be straight with you, I think I'm in love with you, and I want you to be my girlfriend."

The bluntness of his statement caught her by surprise. Her eyes widened as she stammered, "I, uh, I-"

James thought maybe he'd made a mistake, "If that scares you away, I'm sorry, I just wanted to let you know how I really felt. When we were in Vancouver, I was attracted to you at first, and the more I got to know you the more I fell in love with you, your personality. Like how you can be silly and goofy, and be so confident about yourself, but not in a stuck-up way."

Shepard looked at him open-mouthed. She thought he might have the hots for her, maybe like her, but never dreamed he was in love with her.

Her reaction made James start to doubt himself, "I didn't know how much you and Kaidan might still be together. I know he's still at Huerta hospital, and I don't want to complicate your life. "

Shepard vigorously shook her head, "No, James, Kaidan and I are completely over, we have been for a long time. I would love to be your girlfriend." She flung her arms around his neck, wincing from the pain in her left arm, but ignoring it.

James let out a sigh of relief and gave her a gentle hug back. "You're so beautiful, Lola." His breathing became deeper and he pulled back, touching her face with his hand and leaning down for an intense kiss as she pulled herself up to sit straddling him on the couch. The events in his quarters that morning came back to them quickly. She could feel the hard bulge in his pants pressing up against her. She pulled his shirt out from his waistband and ran her hands up under it, feeling his hard muscles under her soft, warm touch. He leaned forward and pulled his shirt off, allowing her full access to explore. She leaned against him, feeling his warmth, placing gentle kisses over his chest and his neck as he groaned and pulled her up for a hard kiss she returned with increased intensity. She broke away to pull her top off. She leaned forward on his chest, sighing with pleasure. He ran his hands down her side, then pulled her back slightly to look at her. She started to feel self-conscious about her scars, Cerberus and battle scars. She'd accumulated quite a few since her rebuild.

"Lola, you're beautiful. I love you, I love all of you."

She started to relax and told him, "Maybe we should move to the bed." She got up and he followed her. He knelt down and pulled off her casual pants, startled by the fact she had no underwear on. She was an enigma, so shy, yet so bold at the same time. Now she was completely naked in front of him, bandages covering her arm, the only thing left on. She started to shiver and he quickly took his pants and underwear off, taking her in his arms and enveloping her in his warmth. She stopped shivering and let herself melt into him as he kissed the top of her head. She pulled away and got in bed, reaching up for him. He got in beside her and took her in his embrace again. He started kissing her, caressing her. She suddenly sat up and pulled the sheet around her.

"James, there's a couple things I need to tell you."

He stopped and tried to collect some semblance of coherent thought, "Uh, Okay."

"Well, it's been a long time since I've, well, been intimate with anyone, and none at all since Cerberus rebuilt me, so I'm not sure how everything will go."

"There's no rush, Lola. We can go slow and if you need to stop, just say so." He lightly traced his fingertips over her leg.

"Okay. Also, we need to talk about protection-"

"Shit, I forgot about that. Do you have something in your drawer?"

"No, James." She looked down. Dammit, this was the worst time for this, but it had to be done. "I mean, we don't have to use protection. It never really came up before, but since my Cerberus rebuild, I can't..." She cleared her throat and blurted out, "The damage was too extensive, and they didn't think I'd ever be able to have children. I'm sorry." She didn't know if he would pull away from her because of that, but she had to tell him the truth.

James let out a long breath, "You're lucky to be alive at all, carino, and while I know you must be disappointed, it doesn't change how I feel about you." He took her hand, "Hey, come on, look at me." She looked up at him. "I mean it, I love you for you, and if the day comes we want to be parents, we'll find another way."

She choked back tears as she leaned over and kissed him. He pulled her back down beside him, kissing her throat, her shoulder. He ran his hands down her body, feeling over every curve. He'd dreamt of doing this for months, and now she was giving herself to him. He really thought that after that morning, she was going to tell him she'd gotten carried away, didn't want to pursue anything, but now she was hungrily kissing him, allowing him to explore her.

"Oh, James. There were so many nights in Vancouver I wanted to be with you like this. It nearly drove me mad."

"I had no idea. I really didn't."

She sat up and looked at him. "I knew if we started, we wouldn't be able to stop, just like now. I knew we'd get caught and then I'd never see you again. I wouldn't have been able to survive there without you. But now, you're here with me, on my ship. Alliance regs be damned. The whole galaxy is going fubar. There's nothing they can do to us now. We've paid our dues. This is our time now."

Her confession stunned him. He couldn't believe the whole time they were on Vancouver she had been trying to resist him, and was now letting out such a rush of emotions for him. As he felt the warmth and smoothness of her skin, he was glad he hadn't let his fear keep him from being honest about how much he loved her.

She grabbed him around his waist and pulled herself closer to him. He reached down between her legs and lightly felt through her dark curls for her slick folds. She drew in a sharp breath.

"Are you wet for me, carino?"

"James, always for you."

He put his finger in started moving it in and out as Shepard moaned and gripped his shoulders. Her blunt nails dug into his muscles and he started softly kissing her breast, lightly nibbling at her nipple. She gasped at the overwhelming sensations. "Oh my god, James, I- I-"

"You what?"

"I don't fucking know, I just, unhh, I love you." She said, throwing her head back.

_That was unexpected._ James went back to her nipple and started sucking, gently at first, then with more force as she started moaning loudly. He put another finger inside her, stretching her out slightly. She was a little tight, but man was she wet. Her juices were flowing out and dripping down his hand.

"James, I need you, I need you now!"

"Not yet. A little more time."

With his fingers still inside her, he moved farther down and started licking at her clit. Shepard screamed out, trying to slow her body's reaction. "No, James. Dammit, I want to feel you inside me now."

He pulled his hand out and came up position himself directly over her. He grabbed under her hips and pulled her up, angling her. She reached down to grab his penis, and immediately was scared by its enormity. "Fucking hell, James! I don't think I can take that much in." her eyes relayed her fear to him. "Are you saying you want to stop?" he asked her, poised on top of her. She shook her head, "No, no, I just – it's massive. Be careful."

"Don't worry." He said in a rough voice. He placed his tip at her opening and started moving it inside her, back and forth, a little bit at a time.

Shepard had forgotten how this felt. She looked up at James, how he could be making her feel so much pleasure, it was mindblowing. He slowly pushed in more and more, Shepard accommodating his length until he was completely inside her. The feel of her encompassing him, pulling him in deeper with her legs was an intensity he'd never felt before. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded, her ability to form words completely escaping her. She moved up and down on him, James groaning as he felt her muscles pulse around his erection. He tried to hold back. She started to pant, louder, then started screaming, "Yes, oh yes, I need you so much. Don't ever, ever stop." She was meeting his movements as he pistoned slowly back and forth. "Faster." She whispered. He obliged, letting loose some of his resolve. She screamed in response. She started hitting him on the shoulder with her fist, "Holy hell, I'm, uh!" she gasped.

He could feel her walls clamp down on him hard. He was startled by the strength of her grip on his penis. A few more thrusts and he couldn't hold back any more, spilling into her, "Lola, uh!"

They rode their climax together to its completion, slowing down and catching their breath. James lay down on top of her, holding his weight up with his arms to not press down on her. She kept him between her legs, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing and making little bites on his shoulder.

As he came down from his high, James looked down at her peaceful, smiling face. "You are amazing, Lola."

She smiled at the compliment and caressed his face. She sighed, satisfied that she had finally been able to be with James after so many months of fantasizing about him, wanting more between them. She was thrilled he felt the same way about her.

He slowly pulled out of her and lay down beside her on the bed. She snuggled up in the crook of his arm.

"Did you mean it?" he asked her, making lazy lines up and down her arm.

"Mean what?" she asked.

"When you said you love me."

She sat up and put her hand on his chest looking into his eyes. "I meant every word."

"Did you mean it too when you said I was massive?"

She smacked his chest, "Yea, but I'm not complaining."

James laughed and gave her a squeeze. She lay back down, reveling in the feel of James next to her.

EDI's voice came over the com, _Shepard, Garrus Vakarian requests your presence in the main battery. He needs your override for upgrades to the main weapons and upgrades to the maintenance system. _

"Override permission granted, EDI."

_I'm afraid I cannot do that, Shepard. This must be done manually. It's a safeguard the Alliance put in place in response to the Alien invasion of the Normandy by the Collectors. _

"Let him know I'll be down in 15 minutes, EDI."

_Yes, Shepard. _

She sighed and got up from bed, looking down at James. "So, boyfriend. I'm going to take a quick shower and get back to work. If you want to stay and take a shower before heading down, you can." She brought up her omni-tool. "I'm changing the code on the door so you have free access." She showed him the code. She stood up and went to the shower, James admiring her naked form as she walked up the stairs. He lay back down on the bed and replayed everything in his mind. He wasn't sure how things would be different for them on the ship from then on, but he was positive he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her.

A little while later, Shepard emerged from the shower, a robe on, scrunching her hair in a towel. She smiled at James and sat on the bed. He reached out and started rubbing her back. She got up, "You'd better not. I'll end up staying in here all day."

"Is that so bad?"

She gave him a warning smile. She dropped her robe.

"That's more like it." He said.

She reached into her drawer and pulled out clothes to change into. James gave her a mock frown. "Don't worry," she laughed, "we can pick up where we left off later tonight." She quickly got dressed and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I was thinking James, maybe you could move your things up here with me." She bit her lip. She knew she was moving fast, but they felt so right together, and it was the only way they would have a decent amount of time to be with each other, she was so busy with reports and meetings. "I mean, I miss being with you, we practically lived together in Vancouver."

James was caught off guard, "I would love to, but do you think it would cause problems for us with the crew?"

Shepard shook her head. "Don't care. I always put myself last. I have asked for very little for myself. It's important that we have a life and time for ourselves too. I mean, only if that's what you want too."

He gave her hand a squeeze. "I'll bring my stuff up this morning."

She beamed. "Great, James. And don't worry, when it comes to work, to the mission, I'm all business. The crew won't feel like I'm compromising them."

"I know you wouldn't, Lola. So, you know it won't be a secret, then."

She threw her head back and laughed. "Joker's probably told everyone already. No way you can keep secrets on this ship." She leaned down and kissed him. "I've got to go see what Garrus needs. I'll meet you for lunch later in the mess?"

"I'll get cleaned up, then bring my things up. Anywhere you want me to put them?"

"Umm, you can take my stuff out of the top drawer and put it in the second one. I'll organize it later."

"Okay, Lola." He stood up and reached out for her hand to pull her up and into a tight embrace. "I had no idea when you came to see me last night things would go down like this today."

She looked up at him and cocked her head to the side, "Yea?"

He smiled and held her shoulders, "It's unbelievable. I'm the luckiest guy." He leaned down and kissed her.

"Oh, James. I feel the same way." She laughed, "We sound so corny, but you know, it's how I really feel. It's nice to just feel."

He gave her arms a squeeze, "You'd better get down to see Garrus."

"I know. See you later." She reluctantly left and got in the elevator. She pushed the button and leaned back against the wall. She was ecstatic her boldness had paid off. It was intoxicating knowing that he returned her feelings. Her thoughts wandered back to earlier that morning. Suddenly she saw the elevator door had been open and stepped out. She walked past the mess hall and towards Garrus' quarters and entered.

"Hey, Shepard. Glad you didn't go AWOL after all. There's an issue I think I've fixed-" he stopped short and wrinkled his nose at her.

Shepard folded her arms in front of her, "I thought we fixed this already, is there still an issue in engineering?"

Garrus stepped closer to her, leaned in, then leaned back. "You smell like Vega."

She turned crimson. "What?" Damn Turians and their sense of smell.

Garrus looked at her, "You heard me."

"Well, we spent the night together." Shepard continued to feel the heat on her cheeks.

"Yea, more than that."

"I did take a shower." she mumbled. This was a ridiculous conversation.

"Hmm. So you're with Vega now."

"Yes."

"Really? Well, that's an interesting turn of events."

"Interesting, how?" she asked.

"Interesting like, about time." Garrus grinned at her.

She relaxed and sat on a crate.

"I've loved him for a long time."

"I know."

Shepard snapped her head up, "What do you mean, 'I know'?"

"What I said. I saw the body language between you guys when you were in prison. I could smell your mutual attraction. When I saw him on Menae, I wondered how close you would let him get to you. I have to say, Shepard, I'm impressed that you took a chance. I know Kaidan really hurt you, and it's good to see you happy with Vega. He's a good guy, and he deeply loves you."

Shepard was shocked. Was it that obvious, even back then? "How come you never said anything about it when you visited me in prison?"

Garrus thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose I felt like you guys would find your way to each other on your own time. There was nothing that could happen while you were in prison. By the time I was back on the Normandy, it was clear things were already in motion."

She smirked, "And I thought Joker would be the first one to know."

Garrus laughed, "Don't count him out. He's got EDI letting him know what's going on the Normandy now."

"Yea, I forgot about that."

"You deserve happiness, Shepard. You've been through a lot. Hell, you've both been through a lot."

"He's moving in my quarters with me."

"Good. No reason to wait, I say."

Shepard smiled, "You are a great best friend, did you know that?"

"Glad you think so. I know that's how I feel about you. Now, let's talk about that engineering issue I fixed while you were screwing your boyfriend, shall we?"

Shepard rolled her eyes and smiled.


End file.
